March 25, 2008

Cari M. Dominguez, a corporate director, lecturer, and consultant, who recently completed a five-year term (2001-2006) as the Nation’s 12th Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), will be the featured speaker at La Sierra University’s 2008 Conferring of Degrees ceremony, Sunday, June 15. Part of the University’s annual Commencement weekend, the ceremony will be held on the campus’s Founders’ Green, and begin at 8 a.m.

While serving as the chief executive officer of the five-member Commission, Dominguez led and directed the operations of an agency with a budget of $325 million and 53 offices throughout the United States.  The Commission is the Nation’s lead agency on all matters pertaining to the enforcement of civil rights employment laws. 

Dominguez’s distinguished career in public service also includes in the U.S. Department of Labor as Assistant Secretary for Employment Standards Administration and as Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.  In the latter capacity, she launched and led the Labor Department’s “Glass Ceiling Initiative,” designed to remove invisible barriers from the workplace. 

Currently Dominguez is a corporate director of Manpower, Inc., and serves on its executive compensation committee.  Manpower, Inc. is a Fortune 500 international company with assets exceeding $20 billion dollars.  She is also a trustee of Loma Linda Medical Center and Loma Linda University.  In addition, she has served on numerous nonprofit boards, including the Leadership Foundation of the International Women’s Forum, and the Human Resources Planning Society. 

A nationally recognized expert and sought-after speaker on workplace trends and issues, she has received numerous awards and national recognition for her public policymaking roles and global efforts to promote justice and equality. Her honors include:

• Hispanic Business — “80 Elite Hispanic Women” and one of the “100 Most Influential Hispanics in the Country.”
• American Biographical Institute — “Two Thousand Most Notable American Women.”
• National Image, Inc— Chairman’s 2002 Award for Excellence.
• Association of Adventist Women—2002 recipient of the “Woman of the Year Award for Outstanding Achievement.”
• Columbia Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists — “Outstanding Achievement Award.”
• Spelman College, Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement—2005 Legacy of Leadership Award

She holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from The American University’s School of International Service, in Washington, D.C.  Ms. Dominguez is also a Fellow of the Advanced Study Program in Public Management of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  In 2003, she was conferred an honorary degree of Doctor of Humanitarian Service by Loma Linda University.  

PR Contact: Larry Becker
Executive Director of University Relations
La Sierra University
Riverside, California
951.785.2460 (voice)